Take-Home Family Activities

Short at-home activities families can do together to extend the classroom message beyond school. Each one takes only a few minutes and needs no special supplies.

1. Family Kindness Talk

At dinner or bedtime, ask each person to name one kind thing someone did for them today, and one kind thing they did for someone else. Take turns and listen to each answer.

2. Thank You Notes at Home

Write a short thank you note together to a teacher, a family member, or a friend. Talk about what you appreciate and why, just as students do in Caring for Our Teachers.

3. Family Gratitude Jar

Put a jar on the kitchen counter. Each day, each family member writes one thing they are grateful for on a slip of paper and drops it in. Read a few out loud together at the end of the week.

4. A Kindness Drawing

Draw a picture that shows appreciation for a friend or family member, using colors, shapes, and patterns to show how you feel. Give the picture as a gift, as in Caring for Each Other.

5. Helping at Home and at School

Choose one small helping job together, such as tidying a shared space or welcoming a new neighbor. Talk about how helping makes your home and school feel safer, as in Caring for Our School.

6. Feelings Check-In

Ask: How would you feel if you were in a friend’s shoes today? Talk about feeling sad, scared, or left out, and come up with one specific way to help a friend who feels that way.

Teachers: send this page home with students, or link it from an exercise page. Families can also start with Start Here to see what the school is doing.